Storytelling
by MelChama
Summary: Edward has children, and he decides they're old enough to hear a tale. Hohenheim decides to do some of his own storytelling, too.


Edward Elric looked up at the clear skies and let out a long breath.

Here he was, at his mother's grave again. Next to her…his father. Ed lowered his head and stared at the name carved in the stone. _Van Hohenheim._

That name had been a source of happiness and love in his first few years. Then Ed began to despise the name and blamed even his mother's death on the man. Later, after Ed and Al embarked on their journey to recover their bodies, his name became a source of rage, yet also hope. Hope that things might be normal once more, and hope that Al and he wouldn't be alone anymore.

Van Hohenheim battled bravely alongside Ed on that day in Central City and to say that Ed wasn't impressed would be a downright lie.

Ten years ago he wouldn't have pleasant thoughts of his father, but times have changed and _today_… today was special.

"Daddy!" was the only warning he had before someone jumped on his back, causing Edward to topple over and land on the grass with a cry of "Oomph!"

"Daddy we're here!" Now four years old, Chris Huges Elric latched himself on his father's back while his mother walked slowly behind him, carrying his two-years-old sister.

Ed quickly recovered and stood up with his son on his shoulders and gave Winry a quick peck on her cheek. "You sure came fast! Did you eat all your breakfast?" Ed teased his son and bounced the young boy up and down before settling Chris on his shoulders.

"You sure bet I did! Mommy saw me too, right Mommy?" Chris asked looked at his mother with bright eyes. Winry laughed and walked over to Ed with a "Yes, yes" directed at her son.

"See Daddy?" Chris bent down and grinned upside down at Ed's face, which Ed responded to by lifting his son off his shoulders and tucking his son under his chin. "I see, I see," chuckled Ed while patting Chris' back. Chris snuggled further into his father's chest and watched as Ed bent down and settled himself on the grass, Winry and Nina next to him. A moment of silence passed and Chris, who inherited his father's endless curiosity, spoke up.

"Daddy… what about granddaddy Van?"

Startled and confused, Ed looked down at his son. "Hmm?"

Chris furrowed his brows and turned his head towards the grave marked "Hohenheim" and continued. "You talk about granny Trisha sometimes but I've never heard you talk about grand—" Chris paused, thinking for a moment, before he shrugged and went on, "—Vanny."

Ed looked at his son with piercing eyes, so serious Chris thought Ed was mad until he burst into howling laughter while Winry giggled. "Daddy? Mommy?" When neither adult replied (couldn't really; too busy choking on laughter), Chris 'hmphed' and drawled his question again. "_Dadddddy?_"

Knowing the capabilities of his son, Ed foresaw the hidden threats of more hair-pulling and tackling behind the sweet question and decided to save himself some pain and coughed twice to focus, but he still couldn't help the grin that played on his lips. "Well Chris… no one has ever called him 'Vanny' before and 'Vanny' would probably make a small drama out of that!"

Ed's eyes softened and he wrapped his left arm around Winry, hugging his family close. "Vanny was a great man, Chris. He chose to spend the last of his energy fighting for us and…and…" Ed stopped as the memories rushed back into his mind, like the rebound of a string drawn too tight, and almost chose to postpone this topic to a further date when he felt a tiny hand on his cheek. Looking to his right, Ed saw encouragement in his wife's eyes and he looked at Nina, who gently patted his cheek and said, "We're here, Daddy."

Ed blinked his visions away, swallowed the lump in his throat, and continued his tale of Van Hohenheim, a man who gave up everything to save the world. A man who carried the burden, guilt, sadness, and anger of countless lives within him. A man who died to make the world a better place for his sons.

Winry gently rested her head on Ed's shoulders as he recounted what he knew of Hohenheim to his children, who listened with rapt attention.

Later that day, after Winry and the children went home first, Ed stood silently in front of the two graves and chuckled.

"Good-for-nothing old geezer."

Comfortably snuggled in his bed, Chris looked at the man in the chair besides his bed and asked, "Was that okay, Vanny?"

Said man simply chuckled and reached to smooth out Chris' hair. "That was perfect, Chris."

Chris giggled and wrapped himself tighter with his blanket, and his next words came out a bit muffled. "Geezer."

A slap echoed in the room and Hohenheim looked sheepishly at a glaring Trisha and said, "…Oops?"

Slap!

"Ow!"

* * *

(At the last part, Hohenheim told what Edward said at the very end to Chris, who latched onto a certain word like fish to water, which made Trisha scold Hohenheim for teaching a bad word to Chris, and reminded the man that "Edward might curse you for tainting his son's mind from the grave," to which Hohenheim just replied with, "It's hardly tainting when Chris knows worse." Of course, that earned another slap because the idiot grandpa was the only who told Chris about his meetings with Edward, and being the idiot he was, he didn't thought about editing Edward's language, so the curses were passed onto Chris, and gods, I'm just absolutely obsessed with the idea of Hohenheim and Trisha watching over the kids and Hohenheim just making more trouble for Edward while Chris and Nina watches with amusement.)

This was an old piece pulled from my old, _old_ folder, and I'm not going to change it at this point. Just publishing it as-is because it's nearly 4am and I want to finish cleaning my folders.


End file.
